The beard has been a symbol of authority, wisdom and masculinity as far back in antiquity as we are able to peer. Kings, scholars, mystics and holy men all proudly wore long, full beards as a testament to their maturity and experience. The Spartans used shaving as a form of punishment to mark a man as a coward, and the Pharisees even plucked out the beard of Christ in an attempt to humiliate and discredit him.

It is said Julius Caesar proclaimed that all of his men were to be clean-shaven, as not to give the enemy an opportunity to grab their facial hair during battle. To this day, soldiers all over the world are beardless, not to prevent a handhold for their opponent, but to provide a proper seal for their gas masks. Down through the ages, to shave or not to shave has rode the waves of popularity, dictated by the tide of fashion. But if you do the math, it turns out that shaving is the fad.

BECOMING A ‘BEARDSMAN’: Today everywhere you look, more and more men, young and old, are embracing their follicular freedom. There are TV shows dedicated to facial hair, such as “Whisker Wars” featuring Jack Passion, a man who makes his living solely off of his epic beard.

You would have to be a complete recluse not to have been bombarded with “Duck Dynasty” merchandise, almost always featuring the hirsute faces of the Robertsons. Men are even seeking out the help of dermatologists to get beard implants, costing thousands of dollars.

I began my journey as a “Beardsman” in earnest on Sept. 30, 2013, when I vowed that I would not shave for at least one year, otherwise know as the “Yeard.”

A man’s beard goes through many stages, but any “Beardsmen” will tell you it takes a good six months of unaltered growing to find out just what your beard's full potential is. I finally came to a point where I needed advice. I had a lot of questions and few answers.

GETTING SOME ADVICE: There is a ton of information on the Internet. There are trimming tutorials, dietary advice, and of course people peddling their wares, but I needed someone to help me right here at home. To begin my search for a barber, I called Barbershops, poked my head in doors, and of course used good old Google. Finally, I found Kyle Russell.

Kyle is a fourth-generation barber; his family opened Dixie Village Barbershop in October of 1964, and it is still up and running today. Kyle now has a chair at Gaston Barbers on Union Road. As soon as I laid eyes on Kyle, I knew I was in the right place. Kyle looks like a cross between a steely-eyed gunslinger, and a Confederate officer, in modern day attire of course. His beard is long and straight, a good eight to 10 inches, and immaculately groomed. Impressed, I sat down to wait my turn.

Page 2 of 2 - I introduced myself to Kyle and told him what I wanted, and as he worked, I asked questions, and we had a very interesting conversation. I asked him why he thought beards were so popular now, and he replied, “People are mad for all things antique, older hairstyles, old things in general.”

Kyle confided that he had grown his first beard of length during his wife’s pregnancy, and she had liked it so much that after he had shaved she asked him to grow out it again. I told Kyle one of my influences to grow mine out had been the character Opie on “Sons of Anarchy.” “Exactly!” he proclaimed. “My wife loved Opie!”

HERE TO STAY: I asked Kyle if he had many others come to him for advice.

“I have about a dozen regular customers who come to me for “Beardscaping” – men from all walks of life,” he said. “What I try to do is help them maintain a neat appearance, training and sculpting it as it is grows, so they can avoid the awkward, messy stages.”

We talked about the looks we got, and how some people even would ask to snap a photo on occasion.

“I have caught a couple people trying to sneak a picture,” he said smiling broadly. “My favorite has to be when I am out with my 4-year-old daughter wearing her princess dress, and me looking like I do, it’s such a huge contrast, the looks on their faces.”

I asked Kyle if people treated him differently, since he had grown it out, “Oh yeah, I stopped at a gas station one day, and I could swear the clerk was looking under the counter for a gun, but then you get a lot of positive feedback too.”

I then asked Kyle if he thought beards “growing” in popularity or just another fad.

“It will be for some, they will just try it out, but it’s been getting more popular over a period of years,” he said. “I have had people say, ‘You’re just trying to be like the guys on ‘Duck Dynasty,’ and that was during the first season of the show. You can’t grow this overnight. I think beards are here to stay.”